Floor construction



c. w. STEVENS. FLOOR CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- I0, 191?.

Pat/611511116 C, 11922 missm a DU HUB UU BU UC B Q fig a Q. Cw w IN VEN T OR.

WITNESSES:

, such an :15; YAT S PATENT OFFICE. I

cImREEs WHITNEY STEVENS, 0E CHICAGQILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR To sTEvENs PARTI- TIoN AND 111.00 DEADENEE 00., OF CHICAGO. ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0E ILLINOIS.

ELoon CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed March 10, 1917.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES STEvENs, a citizen of the United siding at Chicago, in State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Floor Constructions, of which the following is a full. clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, formin a part of this specification. V

y invention relates to floor construction. and, more specifically, to a fireproof floor construction provided with means forpreventing transmission ofsound and vibrations.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide such a construction which will be efficient, durable, light and cheap, and which can be quickly installed. Further objects WHITNEY States, re-

will appear from the detailed description to Fig. 4 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale showing one of the cushioning supports;

Fig. 5

Fig. 4c; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the cushioning su port.

eferring to the drawings in detail, the floor construction shown comprises a lower floor of wet-laid fireproof material, such as cement or concrete 10 laid over and between the hollow tiling 11 and supported in any suitable manner, as by steel reinforcing rods 12, a plurality of cushioning supports 13 bearing on the floor, a plurality of nailing strips 14 bearing on the supports 18, a finishing fioor 15 resting on the nailing strips 14 and secured thereto, and a filling 16 of dry, cellular, fireproof aggregate. as cinders, substantially filling the space between the fioors 10 and 15. Su tablefire-stops 17 of concrete or other suit able material are provided at intervals to Specification of Letters Patent.

the county of Cook and is a section on the line 55 of space Serial No. 153,968.

prevent the spread of fire between the floors 10 and 15. l

A fireproof partition 18 may be provided between adjacent rooms, comprising hollow tile 19 resting on cushioning supports 20 supported on the lower floor 10;

Each of the cushioning supports 13 comprises a ,U-shaped sheet-metal 'member '21. which receives the cushioning pad 22, of cattle hair or other suitable material, "and a sheet-metal base 23 firmly secured to the member 21 by means of rivets 24 and having. foot portions 25 which are imbedded in cement mounds 26 placed on the floor 10. The foot portions 25 of the base are provided with apertures 27, through which the cement in the mound 26 is forced when the base 23 is being placed in position. 5

The supports '13 are leveled up while the cement is still soft by means of a straight edge, the foot port-ions 25 of each of the supports 13 being pushed down into the cement mounds .26 to bring all of the supports to the same level. The supports are placed at such a height ance is provided between the nailing strips 14 and the floor 10 for the gas, water, electric and other conduits laid on the lower fioor 10, as indicated in Fig. 4, one of such conduits 28 being shown extendingunder the nailing strips 14. The distance between the supports 13 is such that the nailing strips are supported without appreciable sagging between the supports ,'the supports for each nailing strip being set about eighteen inches apart and the nailing strips them selves having about sixteen inches between centers.

After. the nailing strips are in position. the filling of dry cinders is spread on the floor 10. up to about the level of the tops of the nailing strips 14. care being taken to fill the spaces under the nailing strips and under the supports 13. The cinder fill for this purpose may be obtained by screening, using a one-half inch mesh screen. his cinder filling also assists in deadening the sound, in that it prevents what is known as a drum effect (which occurs when the between the twofloors is simply an air space) by preventing the vibrations of one floor from being transmitted to the other through the medium of the confined air. It

also tends to localize a fire by preventing that ample clear- I the flames from sweeping along between the floors 10 and 15, and it protects the arch or floor beneath from the heat, which tends to crack it, in case of a fire.

The cellular-structure of the 'cinders makes them very effective as sound deadeners. Their lightness permits the use of lighter steel sections in the building construction than can be used with other heavier fireproof constructions. The fireproof floor can be quickly constructed, as the finishing floor can be laid-as soon as the dry cinder fill has been put in place, which would not be the case in a construction in which a concrete filling is placed between the lower and up per floors and around the pipes, as this concrete filling has to d before the finishing floor can be laid; ot

it may be necessary to wait for weeks before the finishing floor can be laid. Also, with I claim as new and desire to secure by Let .ters Patent: v 1. In a building floor construction, the combination with a level lowerfloor, of a plurality of cushioning supports on said erwise the finishing floor would warp. With the concrete filling nation with a lower floor spots, resulting in lower floor having their supporting surfaces elevated well above the lower floor, nailing strips carried by said suppoits with their lower edges well above the lower floor, an upper floor laid on and secured to said nailing strips, and a filling of dry cinders substantially filling the space between said floors.

2. In a building floor construction, the combination with a level lower floor of wetlaid fire-proof material, of cushioning supports arranged in rows on said lower floor having their supporting surfaces elevated well above the lower floor line, said supports being suitably spaced apart, nai-ling strips carried by said supports with their lower edges well above the lower floor and without appreciable sagging between the supports, an upper floor laid on and secured to Said nailing strips, and a filling of dry cinders substantially filling the space between the said floods and beneath the nailing strips.

3. In abuilding construction, the combiof fire-proof material, of a partition of fire-proof material, a plurality of cushioning supports for said partition, said supports resting on the lower floor and elevating the partition above same, upper flooring also supported by and elevated above the lower floor, and a dry cinder filling between" the floors and beneath the partition. n

In witness whereof, I have hereunto sub scribed my name.

CHARLES WHITNEY STEVENS. 

